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Published on Essence

Viola Davis has joined an illustrious club with her latest big award.

The renowned actress was awarded the Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for the audio version of her memoir, Finding Me. This placed her in the EGOT club, for entertainers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award. She is only the 18th person in history, and the third Black woman to achieve this distinction.

“I just EGOT,” Davis said, taking the stage at the untelevised Grammy awards ceremony earlier in the evening. “Oh, my God. I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything…it has just been such a journey.”

Davis’ memoir, Finding Me, covers her upbringing in what she describes as poverty and pain, to eventually finding forgiveness, peace, success, and ultimately manifesting her life’s great love.

Davis was awarded an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Fences in 2017, a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for How to Get Away with Murder in 2015, and Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Play in 2001 (August Wilson’s King Hedley II) and in 2010 for Fences on Broadway.

Past EGOT winners include Whoopi Goldberg, John Legend, and Jennifer Hudson.